Hundreds of thousands of migrants are dependent on crossing over into Thailand for a day wage to buy food. The borders are now shut and the factories are closed, which leaves them without any ability to make any wages—which means widespread risk of starvation in makeshift camps.
And there are spinoff crises. New mothers aren’t getting enough food to make breast milk, so newborns are now dying in Rakhine state. And even though there are foraging opportunities outside of the camps, these lands are filled with landmines. Because people don’t want to go hungry, they are now choosing a family member to go forage. This means these people are risking body obliteration from landmines, just to eat.
We are also hearing about parents getting approached by child trafficking brokers who are offering the families a better life for a price. Child trafficking is on the rise.